16. Dagger of Time – Prince of Persia
Questing through games often revolves around the notion of finding “the magical thingamajig;” that one all-powerful artifact that will turn the tide in your favor. Prince of Persia, however, hands you the magical thingamajig and lets you do with it what you will. The Dagger of Time is not only the most precious artifact in the franchise, it has the ability to pause, slow down, or rewind time at any given moment. As a series that features heavy parkour options – the precursor to Assassin’s Creed, by the way – you will undoubtedly take leaps that are less than advisable or be struck a fatal blow. The dagger allows you to rewind time and give it another go. The entire franchise is built around the havoc this kind of control over time can cause and is easily one of the more iconic series to revolve around a weapon both in combat and narrative.
Someone at Bungie thought to themselves “what if we took the lightsaber to the next level?” and here we are with the Energy Sword. This devastating melee weapon is intended for use only by the high ranking Elites of the Covenant, using advanced technology to produce long twin blades of energy that will shred you to pieces should you be on the wrong end. This weapon was so brutal and adored by fans that in Halo 2 it was finally able to be wielded by the player and there was much rejoicing. and murder. While the Energy Sword has seen a few variations as the series progressed it is still considered to be one of the most iconic and brutal melee weapons in gaming and is easily the first thing pictured when mentioning Halo after Master Chief’s iconic helmet.
What began as a means to make the game appear less violent has led to the creation of a truly recognizable weapon: the Keyblade. Kingdom Hearts is a smattering of all your favorite Disney properties rolled into one, with Final Fantasy thrown in the mix for some indiscernible reason! A game about friendship, kindness, and the plucky hero set out to save the day, Disney didn’t want their new hero to wield a sword and instead opted for a giant key. The Keyblade was born and has been one of the most iconic weapons in gaming ever since. Even with its variety of styles, anyone who sees a giant key instantly knows who it is meant for.
13. Varia Suit – Metroid Prime Trilogy
This next entry is a tricky one. Samus Aran’s Varia Suit is a lot of things, and to say it itself is a weapon isn’t entirely inaccurate. With one arm replaced with a blaster, a rocket launcher, the ability to morph into a ball and leave bombs, as well as a host of other ways to hunt down your opponents, the suit itself as a whole is both a weapon and iconic. Focusing on the Prime Trilogy specifically, this new first person perspective for the franchise changed the game in so many ways for the better while maintaining the Metroidvania genre. While it may be her armor, it is also one of the most potent and adaptable weapons in gaming today.
There are a number of iconic features to DOOM, but it is its catalog of weapons is what stands out prominently near the top of that list. Whether its a minigun, chainsaw, or the infamously overpowered and downright insane entry on this list: the BFG 9000. Not satisfied with merely eviscerating enemies into a pile of goo or mincing them into bite-sized chunks, DOOM offers you instead the – quite literally – nuclear option. The BFG 9000 is strictly for use when you want your opponent to be extra dead, often times firing a high intensity energy blast which results in a volley of explosive orbs which burst into acidic-like splash damage. The weapon has had minor changes over the years but it is almost always an exclusively end-game experience as one shot can and will wipe all living things off of your screen at once. Of course, part of the weapons iconic nature comes from the meaning behind its acronym.
Some of the entries on this list may be about brutal evisceration, however Mega Man’s Mega Buster is quite tame by comparison. Firing what is lovingly referred to by the fans as lemons, this small hand cannon fires adorable little pips at enemies in its basic state and receives its iconic status due to the fact this feature has remained consistent over the decades Mega Man has been in games, and fans still love it. Something about the simplistic and wholesome nature of Mega Man’s combat is refreshing after seeing so many gruesome ways to eviscerate one another. It’s a throwback to a simpler time in gaming and one we appreciate that has stayed true to the course.
When a game is based around a weapon it tends to be some sort of god-tier, over the top magical piece of devastation. Not so for the Portal series. The iconic Portal Gun is wielded by silent protagonist, Chell. This device creates an entry and exit portal for use in solving puzzles through intricate and elaborate physics tricks. While something of a smaller production – and a game Valve is often happy to give away as a bonus – the blue and orange rings are now iconic in gaming thanks to the wacky nature of the portal gun. That and the ever so recognizable line ‘The cake is a lie.’
9. Scorpion’s Spear – Mortal Kombat
As soon as someone mentions Mortal Kombat the first thing that pops in your mind is most likely the phrase “GET OVER HERE!” followed by that killer track from the film franchise. Scorpion has evolved into a legend and no weapon in the entire series is as iconic as his spear. whether on a rope or a chain, Scorpion embeds the blade deep in his opponents chest before screaming his catch phrase and ripping them close for a free hit. Other characters have made a name for themselves based on special abilities or their allegiances, but no one has been so defined as Scorpion and that brutal kunai.
Click on through to PAGE 3 for the last batch of weapons on our list…